The devastation from Hurricane Helene has been catastrophic and is still unfolding for many impacted communities. Throughout the aftermath, it'?s been heartening to see people come together to help others, including the folks at Games Done Quick. 

Home to the biggest speedrunning charity marathons of the year â€?Awesome Games Done Quick and Summer Games Done Quick â€?GDQ's latest effort is Disaster Relief Done Quick. The speedrunning marathon, which aims to r??aise money for humanitarian nonprofit Direc??t Relief, is set to kick off next week. 

It all starts on October 11 at 6:00 p.m. ET and concludes on October 13 at 11:59 p.m. ET. Submissions for runs are currently being accepted until October 6 at 11:59 p.m. ET. If you've got a game you'd like to run and want to participate in another good and immediately helpful cause, go ahead and sign up here. 

You can catch Disaster Relief Done Quick on the Games Done Quick Twitch channel.

A History of Giving

The Games Done Quick streams have done well for themselves over the past 14 years. The most recent flagship event, Summer Games Done Quick 2024, pulled in $2.5 million for Doctors Without Borders / Médecins Sans Frontières. This brought the lifetime total for all GDQ events to an impressive $51 million, spanning Awesome Games Done Quick, Summ??er Games Done Quick, and the all-women and femmes? Frame Fatales speedrunning showcases. 

Stay tuned for more on the games that will be on display as the O??ctober 11 start date appr??oaches. 

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Another Summer Games Done Quick marathon has come and gone. As sad as we are to see the 'round-the-clock speedruns end, it's always impressive when the final donation tally is revealed. They ended up topping last summer's total for a whopping $2.5 million raised for Doctors Without Borde??rs / Médecins Sans Frontière??s. 

This year's Summer Games Done Quick event went down from June 30-July 6 at the Hilton Minneapolis, with both in-person attendance and a week-long stream on GDQ's Twitch channel. Every run is now available to stream on YouTube, so you can ??catch up on anything you may hav??e missed. 

As usual, the week was full of memorable runs, from synchronized Alan Wake II dances to a Low% Ninja Gaiden run that didn't quite go as planned but was thrilling and inspiring nonetheless. Beloved Shiba Inu Peanut Butter even made a return visit to the event along with JSR, this time slamming a home run in Ken Griffey Jr. Presents Major League Baseball on SNES. There were classic mainstays, like a four-way Super Metroid Any%race, and newcomers like Another Crab's Treasure, which LilAggy and spicee took on in a head-to-head race in under an hour. 

If you have a couple hours to spare, the closer was a 2:38:18 Normal RTA run of the Super Mario RPG remake. 

Games Done Quick has now raised $51 million for charity

Summer Games D??one Quick 2024 brings the lifetime total that GDQ has raised to an incredible $51 million. That number encomp?asses the 14-year history of the marathon, which includes Awesome Games Done Quick, Summer Games Done Quick, and the all-women and femmes Frame Fatales speedrunning showcases. Charities supported over the years include AbleGamers, Doctors Without Borders, Organization for Autism Research, Malala Fund, National Women's Law Center, and Prevent Cancer Foundation.

Speaking of Frame Fatales, they're ?the focus of GDQ's next big event. Look for Flame Fatales to run from August 18-25, live on the official Twitch channel. After that, the flagship Awesome Games Done Quick marathon makes its annual return from January 5-12, 2025 in Pittsburgh. 

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Speedrunning events like Games Done Quick are a chance for people to break world records, while also raising money for charity. It was announced recently that Awesome Games Done?? Quick wi??ll be an in-person event. On top of th??at, the event will also see i?ts first non-human combatant.

That's right, according to speedrunner and streamer JSR_, AGDQ 2024 represents the first time a dog will officially participate in speedrunning on this level. A trailer video shows that Peanut Butter, the Shiba Inu owned by JSR_, will be there to see if they can break their personal b??est.

What game will they be playing? According to a post on Twitter, Peanut Butter (sometimes referred to as PB) will be running the 1985 NES game Gyromite.

Not their first rodeo

While JSR_ will be assis?ting PB to some extent, game inputs will be conducted solely by the dog. A video from earlier this year shows they've done this before, making it through the game in 25:29. The basic set-up utilizes a series of colored buttons hooked up to the game, which Peanut Butter activates (for treats, of course).

Interestingly, both JSR_ and PB are up on Speedrun.com under their own category: Game B - Dog Assistance. The schedule on the AGDQ website shows that this will be an online run rather than in-person, with an expect?ed time of 30 min??utes.

We can already see that Peanut Butter seems to have got down the specifics of Gyromite. Yes??, I'm aware that they probably don't fully understand what's happening, but who among us isn't the least bit tempted to watch a dog play video games? AGDQ will be going ahead in January.

The post For the first time ever?, Games Done Quick will have a c?anine speedrunner appeared first on Destructoid.

Speedrunning charity event Awesome Games Done Quick is back in-person this year. AGDQ 2024 has locked its dates and locale for January 14 through 21 at the Wyndham Hotel an???d Resorts in Pittsburgh, PA.

Though Games Done Quick has hosted a few in-person events since it was pushed online by COVID-19, last year's Awesome Games Done Quick called off its in-person Florida event. At the time, organizers cited both "continued disregard" for COVID-19 dangers and increased aggression towards LGBTQ+ individuals as reasons ??for taking the ev??ent online instead.

Now, AGDQ 2024 is gearing up to run this January in downtown Pittsburgh instead. The charity event is still largely the one you probably know of by now, too. For one week, 24 hours a day, speedrunners will demonstrate all the unique and intriguing ways they navigate games as fast as possible. All of it takes place live, both in-person and online through GDQ's Twitch channel.

Speedrun for charity

AGDQ 2024 is also keeping with its traditional charity partner, the Prevent ??Cancer Foundation. The winter fundraiser supports PCF, while t?he Summer Games Done Quick event backs Doctors Without Borders.

Donations open during the we?ek of, and more info, including runners and s??cheduling, will likely arrive between now and January.

It's good to see AGDQ returni?ng to in-person events after last year's online move, though. The online era of GDQ was, by all means, one of the more successful pandemic-era shifts to remote broadcasting. It also opened up avenues for interesting runs that weren't previously feasible, either, due to location or logistics. Some of that has even bled over into the events as they've gone back in-person.

But hearing the crowd get involved and the energy of those gatherings is a big piece of the GDQ appeal. Especially on the final day, it's always fun to hear the laughs, cheers, and whatever shout-outs manage to pop up over the week. I'll be looking forward to ??all of that this coming January.

The post AGDQ 2024 locks in an in-person event for January appeared first on Destructoid.

Those into speedrunning will know Games Done Quick very well. Events like SGDQ 2023 help to raise staggering amounts for good causes, and now it's the turn of Flame Fatales, which is kicking of??f this weekend.

The all-woman speedrunning event runs from August 13 (that's this Sunday) right up until August 20. You can check the Games Done Quick website for more details about it. Flame Fatales will run in aid of Malala Fund, a ??charity co-founded by Nobel Prize winner Malala Yousafzai that fights for "every girl’s right to 12 years of free, safe, quality education."

[caption id="attachment_396066" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Image via Games Done Quick.[/caption]

You can also check out the schedule that's now live, showing who's p?laying what and when. Essentially, it's going to be a week that's jam-packed with some of the best women speedrunners aro??und, helping to raise money for charity.

Millions raised

Over the years, the Games Done Quick brand has helped raise a ton of money that has gone to a number of worthy causes. Earlier this year, AGDQ raised $2.6 million for the Pre?vent Cancer Foundation. That's not chump change??!

Flames Fatales is just one more opportunity for streamers and runners to come together to provide video ?game entertainment, while also doing good in the world. The act of speedrunning (where you aim to finish a game as quickly as possible in any non-cheat fashion) has become immensely popular. People dedicate hundreds (if not thousands) of hours to perfecting their techniques in order to shave off milliseconds.

It's?? something that just about anyone can get into, but it takes an enormous amount of effort and time to truly be counted among the best. Let's hope Games Done Quick's Flame Fatale event is just as successful as the others that have come before it.

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Running fast for a good cause

The summer is here, and what better way to celebrate than with SGDQ? Summer Games Done Quick 2023 kicks off this coming Sunday, with a bevy of speedrunning exhibitions planned fr??om May 28 through June 4.

Starting at 10 a.m. PT / 1 p.m. ET, this year's SGDQ 2023 will kick off and run for 24 hours a day, all the way through to June 4. The speedrunning event will air live on GDQ's Twitch channel.

If you're unfamiliar with the concept, Games Done Quick is an organization that hosts speedrunning exhibitions benefitting different charities. Players will showcase runthroughs of games played at their absolute fastest, using glitches, techniques, and skill to get to their goal as fast as possible. And many categories impose interesting, non-traditional goals too. While "Any%" can just mean seeing the ??credits roll, further categories offer different and unique challenges for the runner.

GDQ week is usually a week of good times and fun runs, and this event will be back in person. (SGDQ's counterpart, Awesome Games Done Quick 2023, called off its in-person event and went online due to Florida's stances on COVID-19 policies and "increased aggression" to??wards LGBTQ+ indiv??iduals.)

There's frankly no shortage of excellent runs this year, too. I was looking over the schedule this morning and was a bit surprised at? how stacked this event felt. If you're looking for pointers, I've pulled some highlights from the schedule below, including the run category and runner(s).

Summer Games Done Quick 2023 runs to watch for

Sunday, May 28

• Sonic Frontier Any% - AlphaDolphin
• Mega Man Maker Any% - megamarino
• Ring Fit Adventure Beat World 1 Intensity 30 Restricted - Verxl

Monday, May 29

• Banjo-Kazooie 100% no FFM - duck
• Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII - Reunion Any% Race - desa3579, BigSid
• Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon Any% Ultimate - The Blacktastic
• StepManiaX Game Showcase - ZephyrGlaze, WDRM, chezmix

Tuesday, May 30

• Chained Echoes Any% No CW  Fresh File - moonblazewolf
• Bastion Live Tutorial Showcase - Cosmic_Bones, SeaAverage

Wednesday, May 31

• Signalis Any% Casual Difficulty / Memory Ending - DruciferPlays
• Lil Gator Game Any% - ItzBytez
• Sonic Adventure DX All Stories Relay - SpacebarS, shovelclaws, Themimik, Yoshipuff, AlphaDolphin, Allegro
• The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask Blitz Randomizer - spikevegeta

Thursday, June 1

• True Crime: New York City Any% - pmcTRILOGY
• Give Me Toilet Paper! Hand% - Asuka424
• Pizza Tower Any% - SoaringSloth
• Titanfall 2 Any% - Blaidan

Friday, June 2

• Shantae and the Pirate's Curse All Dark Magic, Pirate Mode, No OOB - TheSoundDefense
• Dark Forces Easy (TFE) - CovertMuffin
• The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Any% Co-op - AmberCyprian, TGH
• Clone Hero Showcase - Frif
• Celeste TAS True Ending - Lmjacks, tmscalvins, Vamp

Saturday, June 3

• Kingdom Hearts Final Mix Any% Proud Race - MistMaster1, Violin
• Superhot VR Any% - davidtki
• Elden Ring Any% Glitchless - Mitchriz
• Super Mario Maker 2 Relay Race - TheRileyC, Aurateur, PangaeaPanga, TanukiDan, Shoujo, Caspur189, LilKirbs, Thabeast721
• The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Any% Blindfolded - Bubzia

Sunday, June 4

• Baron of Shell 100% - grandpoobear
• Super Metroid Co-op Any% - ShinyZeni, zoast

Let us know what you're looking forward to below!

The post Summer Games Done Quick 20??23 kicks off this weekend appeared first on Destructoid.

Feeling hot, hot, hot...

Look, I don't know where the year goes either, but we are, once again, preparing for one of the most exciting and most fun weeks of the entire gaming year �Yes, Summer Games Done Quick (SGDQ) will be upon us once again in a little over a month's time, as some of the fastest fingers in the world t??ake on a cavalcade of new and old titles, and all in aid of a very worthy cause.

SGDQ 2023, which will kick off on Sunday, May 28, before winding up one week later on Sunday, June 4, will take place as a hybrid online/in-person event, and will see expert players from all over the globe will come together for seven days of electric speedr??uns, player vs player races, and unique and sometimes mind-blowing challenges. The GDQ team will, of course, be on hand for player interviews, viewer contests, and to read out messages of support from the home audience.

//twitter.com/GamesDoneQuick/status/16459852388??98860033?s=20

Looking at this year's schedule, we can see that almost all generations of gaming will be repped at this year's events, with a bevy of runs on modern titles such as Elden Ring, Pokemon Scarlet & Violet, Lil Gator Game, and Fire Emblem Engage, as well as showings from speedrun stalwarts in the Metroid, Castlevania, Mega Man, and Legend of Zelda franchises. Of course, the strange and obscure will also be on deck, with runs planned for titles such as Final Fight 3, the X-Men arcade, Shatterhand, and the abominable SNES release, Wayne's World.

As always, viewers will be able to donate to the event throughout the week, with all proceeds going to non-profit organization Medecins Sans Frontieres, an international network of professional healthcare workers who provide medical aid, care, and relief to those who need it, wherever it’s needed, regardless of race, color, creed, or political persuasion. Last year's SGDQ event raised an amazing $3.01 million USD, an??d here's hoping that this year's event will be equally as successful.

SGDQ 2023 will take place between May 28 and June 4, 2023. The in-person event will take place at The Hilton Minneapolis hotel, and all streams will be available for viewing live on the GDQ Twitch channel.

The post SGDQ 2023 kicks? off next month, full schedule now live appeared first on Destructoid.

AGDQ 2023 is a success!

As someone who is both a fan of speedrunning and raising money for a good cause, Games Done Quick runs some of my favorite gaming events of the year. The organization's first event of the year, Awesome Games Done Quick, came to a close this weekend, but not after securing some big wins first. During the event's run on Twitch from January ??8-15, they raised over $2.6 million for Prevent Cancer Foundation, and some of the participants broke some new speedrunning world records:

• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge: Co-op Any% Arcade Old Patch by Benja and Paul-Knives (56:18)
• Super Mario Galaxy 2: Any% with Bank Run by Jhay (2:54:51.33)
• PowerWash Simulator: 6 Players, All Vehicles, No Soap by Amyrlinn, Bullets, Biglaw, Enigma Requiem, AngelicKnight, and Acadiel (33:31.7)
• Steven Seagal Is: The Final Option (Prototype): any% 9 exits by Crak Atak (21:44.6)

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTpXQ9hSq_w

This year's Awesome Games Done Quick supported the Prevent Cancer Foundation, which is "the only U.S.-based nonprofit organization solely dedicated to cancer prevention and early detection." GDQ has raised more than $43 million in its lifetime for various charities, including Doctors Without Borders, Dir??ect Relief, AbleGamers, Malala Fund, and Organization for Autism Research. It's always great to see them in the news, because Games Done Quick has to be one of the most wholesome and uplifting organizations in gami??ng.

If you missed the live event this time around, don't worry! There's an archive of the entire AGDQ 2023 �as well as other past events �on the Games Done Quick YouTube channel.

Games Done Quick also announced the dates for some more of their upcoming events this year, including the all-female winter speedrunning event Frost Fatales (February 26-March 4, 2023) and Summer Games Done Quick (May 28-June 4, 2023).

The post Awesome Games Done Quick 2023 raised $2??.6 million for the Prevent?? Cancer Foundation appeared first on Destructoid.

The biannual speedrunning event starts on Sunday

A new year is here, and so too is a new Games Done Quick event. Awesome Games Done Quick 2023, or AGDQ 2023, starts on January 8 and ho??sts 24-7 speedrunning showcases all the way through January 14.

The biannual charity speedrunning event raises funds for the Prevent Cancer Foundation, and will host a variety of streamers from around the globe. This will also be the final GDQ for event founder Mike Uyama, who is stepping down to pursue new ventures. Director of Operations Matt Merkle will take over the role of owner and managing director, and the organiza?tion is also seeking a new assistant manager.

Additionally, this year's event is being held online. GDQ confirmed last September that it would not go through with its planned Florida locale, in response to both the state's COVID-19 policies and concerns over HB 1557, colloquially known as the "Don't Say Gay" bill.

"Given the state’s continued disregard for COVID-19’s dangers (including anti-mandate policies) and an increased aggression towards LGBTQ+ individuals, including the law colloquially known as 'Don't Say Gay,' we do not believe it is a safe place for our community," said the organization in a statement.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=SG4n5UIvtdk

This year still looks set to hold some fantastic showcases, however. We've gone through the list of scheduled runs for AGDQ 2023 and picked out a few from each that piqued our interest. Whether it's an interesting category or just a cool game to see speedrun, we'll post them below. Runs will be listed chronologically, and you can check here for time estimates as they're updated throughout the event.

Sunday, January 8

• Borderlands: Game of the Year Enhanced (Any%)
• Cuphead (Bonus Game incentive - 300%)
• Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes (Perfect Stealth / No Kills NG+)
• Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of the Sky (Randomizer 10 Dungeon Blitz)

Monday, January 9

• Skate (X Games%)
• TMNT: Shredder's Revenge (Co-op 2v2 Any% Arcade Chill Race)
• Hitman: Blood Money (Any%)

Tuesday, January 10

• Illbleed (Any%)
• Outer Wilds (Stranger 100%)
• Dead Space 3 (Any% Co-op)

Wednesday, January 11

• Final Fantasy VII (Any% No Slots)
• Pokemon Red or Yellow (Any% Glitchless)
• Neon White (White's Heaven Rush)

Thursday, January 12

• The World Ends With You: Final Remix (Any% Normal)
• Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (150cc DLC 16 Tracks No Items)
• The Simpsons: Hit & Run (All Story Missions)
• Celeste (Custom maps, Into the Jungle Any%)

Friday, January 13

• Metroid Prime 1 + 2 (Multiworld Randomizer Co-op)
• TrackMania Turbo (White Tracks Double Driver)
• Final Fantasy XIV (Palace of the Dead Solo MCH F171-180, No Mouse)
• Super Mario All-Stars Shuffler (All Four Games Any% No Wrong Warp)

Saturday, January 14

• Metroid Dread (All Bosses Glitchless Race)
• Half-Life: Alyx (Inbounds)
• Pokemon Legends: Arceus (All Lords)
• Super Mario Bros. 3 (Any% Warpless)

Looking forward to any AGDQ 2023 runs yourself? Let us kno?w in the comments!

The post AGDQ 2023 kicks off this weekend, here are som?e runs to watch for appeared first on Destructoid.

Organizers cite issues with Florida's COVID policies and aggression towards LGBTQ+ individuals

Awesome Games Done Quick will be back in 2023, to host another speedrunni?ng charity event. But unlike the most recent SGDQ, it won't be an in-person event??.

Games Done ?Quick has confirmed that its 2023 AGDQ event will be hosted online, on January 8 through 15. While organizers state they would like to return to in-person, they have determined that "to provide a safe and welcoming event to all" it w?as best to move away from its originally planned location in Florida.

In a thread detailing the decision, Games Done Quick cites the state's "continued disregard" for COVID-19 dangers, including anti-mandate policies. They also note increased aggression towards LGBTQ+ individuals, including the "Don't Say Gay" law.

//twitter.com/GamesDoneQuick/status/15675?58910??529384449

After the success of AGDQ in 2020, Games Done Quick secured ??????????????????????????a contract with a Florida venue t?o return in 2021. The global pandemic postponed that decision until it was deemed safe to return to in-person events.

While the team says it has explored multiple options that would allow them to remain in-person by relocating to a new location, the cost required to can?cel its existing contract is too high to justify relocatin??g while also paying the cancellation. Ultimately, with the contract unable to be delayed any longer, the team has decided to move the event online.

"While the move to online will allow us to save some on expenses, we still have considerable costs to recover," reads today's statement. "We are ??looking to recover it wherever?? possible, including community support via Twitch subs. We thank the community for their support!"

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=4IUT4UOCZzg

Running for a good cause

The return of Summer Games Done Quick to in-person events was met with a lot of excitement earlier this year. But even so, if policies are unable to be e??nforced and organizers don't feel it's safe, moving online seems like the bett??er option.

If you want to support Games Done Quick, their Twitch channel is here. Both Game and Volunteer submissions open on September 11 on the GDQ site.

The post Awesome Games Done Quick?? 2023 set for January, going online-only appeared first on Destructoid.

Pre-recorded footage used in bonus speedrun

The Games Done Quick (GDQ) team has announced that it has rescinded a World Record run that took place during last week's Summer Games Done Quick 2022 event. The run, which featured hack 'n' slash actioner Metal Gear Solid: Revengeance, has been nullified after t?he SGDQ runner admitted to using footage spliced together from previous offline attempts.

While most of the event's speedruns were showcased on-site, a small handful were held in an online capacity for logistical reasons. A Russian speedrunner tackled Revengeance' "Blade Wolf" ??DLC as part of a viewer donation bonus incentive, and proceeded to achieve a world-best clear time in the process. However, the player has since confessed to having faked the feat by simply playing an edited, pre-recorded video on stream.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlkWSqA4VFU

"The Blade Wolf DLC run incentive people paid for is a pre-recorded, segmented run," confessed the runner to GDQ enforcement team after the event. "I haven't mentioned it anywhere, neither during the submission process or the email I sent to the committee. It was supposed to be a real-time run, but I've changed my mind? at the last second after switching the saves."

"I've done an actual bad thing, and I shouldn't have done t??his on the event... I acted selfishly and I haven't put more time thinking about others. I am sorry for doing the thing I've done. Truly."

The GDQ team has since removed the run from its YouTube archive and banned the player from participating in future GDQ events. Despite the honest confession, GDQ seems to believe that it was understood by the player that the subterfuge would not be publica??lly outed by the GDQ team. This, obviously,? has not been the case.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_Ui0Sk1DAM

"This is absolutely unacceptable and attempts to undermine the integrity of the speedrunning community that we love and support," wrote the team in a statement to PCGamesN. "The exact result they desired was unclear from the document, but it is clear that they believed we would not be willing to speak out about their behavior. However, we believe it is in the community's best i??nterests to know why this run was removed by GDQ. We have removed [the player's runs] from our YouTube archive, and will not permit him to run in the future."

Summer Games Done Quick 2022, returning to the Double Tree Hilton in Bloomington MA for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic forced the events offline, saw some of the fastest and finest players in the world gather together to smash through a huge catalog of new and classic video games. When the curtain fell on Saturday, the event had raised an incredible $3.01 million USD for charity Medecins Sans Frontieres. You can check out (almost) every run from the event on the official GDQ YouTube channel.

The next online GDQ event, Flame Fatales, will take place between August 21-27.

The post SGDQ 2022 Metal Gear R?ising: Revengeance World ?Record run confirmed fake appeared first on Destructoid.

There are some rad-looking speedruns in store this week

It's? time once again to watch some sick speedrunning exhibitions. Su??mmer Games Done Quick 2022 gets underway today, as speedrunners gather in Minnesota to go fast for a good cause.

For anyone unfamiliar, Games Done Quick is a twice-a-year event where speedrunners—players who compete to clear objectives in games as fast as p??ossible—put on exhibitions f?or charity. SGDQ supports Doctors Without Borders, while Awesome Games Done Quick raises funds for the Prevent Cancer Foundation.

This year's SGDQ is a notable one because it's the first time, since AGDQ 2020, that a Games Done Quick event has been held in-person. The event has outlined its COVID policies online, but this will be the ?first time we've had some genuine crowds since pre-pandemic.

Summer Games Done Quick streams live on Twitch from Su?nday, June 26 through this coming Saturday and potentially into the we?e hours of July 3.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2ogX44s5Cs

You can find the full schedule of upcoming runs, shifted to your respective time zone, here. I also went through and took a look at the runs, pulling out ones I thought looked or sounded neat. If you're looking for particular days or windows to tune in, this might give you a decent idea of when. (All times below are in U.S. Central Standar??d Time, and subject to change and ad?just as the schedule moves around.)

Sunday, June 26

• Shadow of the Colossus NTA Bossrush Random - 12:00 p.m.
• Kirby and the Forgotten Land Any% - 5:58 p.m.
• Bonus Game 1: Pokemon Snap 250k points - 8:13 p.m.

Monday, June 27

• The Pathless All Bosses - 8:44 a.m.
• Super Castlevania 4 Low% Race - 11:49 a.m.
• The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (2019) Any% Glitchless Race - 3:03 p.m.
• ICO Any% 60hz - 5:08 p.m.

Tuesday, June 28

• Omori Any% Glitched - 1:12 a.m.
• Mega Man: The Wily Wars Mega Man 2 vs. Mega Man 3 - 12:51 p.m.
• Yakuza: Like a Dragon Any% (PC) - 2:26 p.m.
• Bonus Game 3: Half-Life: Alyx Inbounds - 8:41 p.m.
• Super Mario Odyssey Darker Side - 9:56 p.m.

Wednesday, June 29

• Final Fantasy VI: Worlds Collide Randomizer Any% NMG - 2:33 a.m.
• Tunic Any% - 12:22 p.m.
• Advance Wars Any% (No Map Glitch) - 1:17 p.m.
• Pokemon Emerald Randomizer Evolution Chaos Co-Op - 2:42 p.m.
• Bonus Game 4: Minecraft: Java Edition Any% Random Seed Glitchless (Current Version) - 7:37 p.m.

Thursday, June 30

• Devil May Cry Dante Must Die All Collectables - 1:01 a.m.
• Incredible Crisis Any% - 6:39 a.m.
• Kirby Tilt 'n' Tumble Any% - 10:15 a.m.
• Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance NG+ Hard - 5:38 p.m.
• StepMania/NotITG Couples Exhibition - 6:58 p.m.
• Celeste True Ending - 9:38 p.m.

Friday, July 1

• Satisfactory Package% - 8:35 a.m.
• Pokemon Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl Any% Glitchless - 10:08 a.m.
• F-Zero GX Story Mode, Max Speed, Very Hard - 3:38 p.m.
• The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Randomizer Co-Op 5 Dungeonsanity - 4:38 p.m.
• Portal 2 Inbounds No Saveload Abuse TAS - 7:18 p.m.
• Super Mario World Relay Race - 10:48 p.m.

Saturday, July 2

• Left 4 Dead 2 Main Campaigns Co-op - 2:08 a.m.
• Final Fantasy X Any% Cutscene Remover - 3:16 a.m.
• Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty PC European Extreme - 7:34 a.m.
• Super Mario All-Stars + Super Mario World All Five Games w/ ACE - 2:27 p.m.
• Super Mario Maker 2 Relay Race - 7:31 p.m.
• Elden Ring All Remembrances - 11:21 p.m.

The post Summer Games Done Quick ??2022 kicks off today, so her??e are some runs to watch for appeared first on Destructoid.

Back in person for the first time in two years

Games Done Quick is one of the most popular and beloved gaming charity events out there, and this year, they're finally back in person with Summer Games Done Quick 2022 as we learned a few months ago. Now the organization has also just released the full schedule for the event this year??, and we couldn't be more stoked for it.

The SGDQ 2022 lineup will feature speedruns of our old favorites like Shadow of the Colossus, Mass Effect, and Spyro the Dragon, while newer titles are also on the table like Tunic and Kirby and the Forgotten Land.

Summer Games Done Quick 2022 will take place at the DoubleTree Hilton Bloomington-Minneapolis Hotel in Bloomington, MN from June 26–July 3. It may be the first time back in person in two years, somet?hin?g we're all incredibly excited about, but that doesn't mean SGDQ won't be taking the necessary precautions.

The event will be following full Covid-19 guidelines to make sure that fans can have a fun, safe time this year �attendees will need to be fully vaccinated, and will be required to wear a KN95/N95/KF94 face mask at all times while in attendance. If you can't make it in person, that's totally fine too, because the entire event will also be available to stream on the official Games Done Quick Twitch channel.

This year's SGDQ will be directly benefitting Doctors Without Borders / Médecins Sa??ns Frontières, an international medical non-governmental organization that provides medical care to those in crisis around the world. Viewers or audience members will be able to donate to the cause, will 100% of all donations going directly to Doctors Without Borders. What could be better than enjoying some video games while helping out those in need at the sa??me time? Nothing, that's what.

You can find more details about SGDQ 2022 on their official website, and ??now we have something to look forwa?rd to for the next few months.

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The crowds will once again cheer 'orb'

Speedrunning charity event Games Done Quick is bringing back the audience. GDQ confirms that Summer Games Done Quick 2022 will be ?taking place in person this year, on June 26 through July 3.

The event will take place in Bloomington, Minnesota, and benefit Doctors Without Borders. The full COVID safety policy will be posted on March 21, but Games Done Quick confirms that proof of  v?accination will be required. KN95 / N95 masks are also re??quired in event areas and on stream.

GDQ is reducing the event cap, as well as practicing social distancing. Organizers are also asking attendees to stick to two people to a room at the hotel. Games Done Quick says it will continue to eval??uate, and may adjust policies or cancel all ?in-person plans in response to COVID-19 developments.

//twitter.com/GamesDo?neQuick/status/1504896306132619264

Also, some on-site activities will not return this summer. GDQ specifically cites the board game room and panels. Submissions for the speedrunning event open on March 21. If dist??ance is desired, GDQ says it is also accepting a limited number of remote runs.

It's a lot of safeties and precautions, which is honestly reassuring. Of the many live events that had to adapt to the pandemic, GDQ pulled it off well. The speedrunning charity organization hosted several GDQ events remotely to great success. Going remote has even made it easier to spotlight some interesting runs, like the Half-Life: Alyx VR run and multiple rhythm game showcases.

Still, I've admittedly missed the crowds. There's something different about hearing the cheer??s, chants, and laughter from the crowd throughout each week. It's nice to see SGDQ returning to an in-person as best it can, while taking precautions along the way. H??opefully all goes well and we can see some masked onlookers cheering on speedrunners once June rolls around.

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GDQ's Fast Femmes return

[Update: Frost Fatales is now live! Check out all the action right here on Twitch.]

Are you ready for another week of wild speedruns, all in the name of a worthwhile cause? Well, if so (and I always am), this week sees the return of Frost Fatales, the all-women speedrun event hosted by the Ga?mes Done Quick Frame Fatales community. The action kicks off Sunday, February 27, and will run until March 6.

Much like last year's event, and summer's epic Flame Fatales gathering, Frost Fatales 2022 will take place in an online capacity, as a legion of dedicated and expert gaming gals ply their trade against a wide variety of titles, old and new. A brief look at the schedule promises exciting times with classic games from The Legend of Zelda, Sonic the Hedgehog, and DuckTales franchises, with more modern fare coming in the form of Hades, NieR: Automata, WarioWare: Get it Together, and Fire Emblem: Three Houses.

Once again, viewers will be able to send in words of encouragement and applause, along with donations to Frost Fatales' chosen charity, The Malala Fund. Co-founded by the youngest Nobel prize winner in history, Malala Yousafzai, The Malala Fund is a non-profit organization that supports and provides access to secondary education for women and girls all over the world, regardless of their status, background, or local economy. Flame Fatales 2021 raised an awesome $127,000 last summer, and will ??no doubt be looking to smash that record achievement.

It's going to be a great event, and you can check out all of the action yourself over on the official Games Done Quick Twitch channel. Good luck to the crew an??d all of t??he Frost Fatale runners and streamers!

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Highest-ever grand total for a single GDQ event

In a wonderful piece of news to kick off the week, it has been announced that this year's Awesome Games Done Quick (AGDQ) speedrunning event has smashed all previous GDQ records, raising ??an eye-popping $3.4 million USD over the course of seven short days.

Over the course of the past seven days, some of the slickest video game players in the world gathered online to ply their skills against a huge roster of games, ranging from classics such as The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, Half-Life 2, Crash Team Racing, and various titles in the Castlevania series, to newer releases including Returnal, Deathloop, Death's Door, Lost Judgment, and Destructoid's own GOTY, Chicory: A Colorful Tale.

When the curtain fell late on Saturday, January 15, AGDQ viewers and supporters had raised somewhere in the region of an almighty $3,416,729,85. All of these proceeds will be donated directly to the Prevent Cancer Foundation, an international organization that works tirelessly to research life-saving developments in the curing ??of cancer. In addition to the record-b?reaking grand total, both the $1 million and $2 million milestones were smashed in a shorter space of time than any previous event.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQeeRBtQgzE&t=13s

For many, the highlight of this year's event will be a mindboggling run that saw runner Mitchriz complete FromSoftware's challenging adventure Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice blindfold, guided through the game by only its audio. Mitchriz made short work of the adventure's many enemies and even walked away from a few boss battles without a scratch. It has to be seen to be believed. In fact, all of AGDQ 2022’s speedruns are archived on Twitch and YouTube, readily accessible via this Reddit thread.

Congratulations, as always, to one of AGDQ 2022's runners, organizers, promoters, and donors. Once again you all came through to showcase the ??very best of the gaming community, in the spirit of hope, generosity, selflessness, and togetherness. We need positive headlines now more than ever and this record-breaking grand total shows that while the world remains on a backstep right now, the core community of our favorite pastime will always come through for the great and good.

Summer Games Done Quick?? 2022 will return later this year, though a date is yet to be determined. Before th??en, all-women's speedrunning event Frost Fatales will take place on the week of February 27.

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This year's lineup spans a surprising mix of new and old games being run for charity

[Update: AGDQ 2022 is now underway! Be sure to check out all of the action over on Twitch!]

It's that time once again. Awesome Games Done Quick 2022 will be hosted this weekend, running Sunday, J?an. 9 through 15. Throughout the online event, speedrunners from all over will perform exhibitions and compete, raising funds for the Prevent Cancer Foundation.

If you're familiar at all with speedrunning, then you probably already know about Games Done Quick. Speedrunners play 24/7 throughout the week, showing off their skills and skips while raising money for a good cause. Awesome Games Done Quick 2022 will once again be held online, which has surprisingly allowed for some really cool runs to be featured, like Beat Saber and the arcade dancing game runs we've recently see?n at GDQ.

This year, there's a pretty interesting mix of games both new and old on the docket. The show opens with an Any% Featherless run of Nioh 2 from AxelSanGo, and later heads into Deathloop and Axiom Verge 2, and even Death's Door. These are some surprisingly recent games, so it's exciting to ??see?? them being run already.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdEISFAtHVg

There are, of course, still some retro runs at Awesome Games Done Quick 2022 for the fans of the classics. Sonic and Mega Man exhibitions are still present, and a bid war will determine which 3DS version of a Zelda classic�em>Majora's Mask or Ocarina of Time—will get showcased.

And closing the curtains on AGDQ this year will be an All Bosses Extreme run of Metal Gear Solid from dlimes13. My personal picks I'll be looking out for: the Final Fantasy XIII run and both the Slay the Spire and Hades exhibitions.

You can find the full schedule with the days and slots here, automatically adjusted to your timezone. The action will stream from Jan. 9 through 15 right here on the GDQ Twitch channel, and you can find donation information and prize info on the GDQ homepage throughout the event. Here'??s to another year of speedruns galore!

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Speed Shemons

The fast femmes of Frame Fatales have succeeded in absolutely smashing their previous speedrun ma??rathon records. On Saturday, August 21, the curtain fell on another awesome Flame Fatales event, with the all-women team having raised an incredible $126,830 USD following seven straight days of fast-paced gaming action.

Once again held in a socially distanced online capacity, Flame Fatales saw the Games Done Quick sub-community ply their trade on a wide variety of video games, old and new. Among the titles smashed with frame-stealing expertise was Super Mario Maker, Crypt of the Necrodancer, Stardew Valley, Super Meat Boy, Bayonetta 2, Axiom Verge, and, of course speedrun veterans Super Metroid and Silent Hill 2. It was a fascinating watch, as? always, with great gameplay married to insightful commentary and Frame Fatales' engaging community spirit.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=yN3tMXiFlJ4

The money raised will be donated directed to non-profit organization The Malala Fund, which continues in its vitally important efforts to that ensure women and girls worldwide are provided access to safe, free, quality education, regardless of their status, background, nationality, or local economy. Back in the fall of 2020, the Fleet Fatales event raised an impressive $80,000, so this season's six-figure sum is a massive cause for celebration �money that will no?? doubt go some way to facilitating opportunities for wo??men during a time a global crisis.

If you'd like to check out the week's action for yourself, then each and every speedrun is currently archived over on the Games Done Quick YouTube channel. If you'd like to get involved with the Frame Fatales community, then speak to the organizers about visiting the group's Discord. Congratulations to ??all of the runners and staff involved in making Flame Fatales 2021 such an amazing success, your drive, talent, and? compassion remains both awesome and endlessly inspiring.

The next Frame Fatales event, Frost Fatales?, will take place F??ebruary 27 - March 5, 2022.

//twitter.com/GamesDoneQuick/status/142929824604896??051??3?s=20

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Fast Femmes

Everyone knows that there's no better way to fill out a week than with an excellent speedrun marathon. And we're all in luck, as the ladies of Frame Fatales have gathered online once again to showcase their mad skills on a wide variety of titles old and new �and all for a good cause. Yes, folks, the summer extravaganza known as Flame Fatales is now underway.

The week-long event, which kicked off just yesterday, will see expert players ply their trade on a whole host of great titles, from recent releases such as Final Fantasy VII Remake: Intergrade, Fire Emblem: Three Houses, and Cadence of Hyrule, to a slew of classics including Super Metroid, Silent Hill 2, Celeste, and Sonic the Hedgehog. Flame Fatales is once again being held in an online capacity, in order to keep both runners ??and crew safe and socially distanced in the times of COVID -19.

Viewers can tune in each day to watch the action, offering support and donations while also bagging some sweet goodies and merchandise. Once again, all contributions raised will go directly to The Malala Fund, a non-profit organization that tirelessly fights to ensure women and girls worldwide are afforded access to safe, free, and high-quality education, regardless of their status, background, nationality, or economy. Back in November 2020, Fleet Fatales raised an amazing $80,000 USD, so the team will surely be looking to smash that target with this summer's event??.

You can catch all of the action live over on the official Games Done Quick Twitch channel. A full schedule of events, adjusted to your timezone, is available right here. As I've banged on about multiple tim?es over the years, I love sinking into charity speedrun events, and the Frame Fatales showcase is no exception. Good luck to all runners and ??crew!

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Where in the world are we?

Summer Games Done Quick 2021 has been underway for days now, with a bunch of speedrunners (remotely) coming together to demonstrate their skills for charity. This includes the usual suspects like Mega Man and Metroid, but SGDQ '21 spotlighted a wild run earlier this week: a speedy, precise run of GeoGuessr.

If you've never played GeoGuessr, it's the formal version of a Google Maps game you might have already tried. It plops you on street view somewhere in the world, and you have to guess where you are. And that "somewhere" can be just about anywhere, though a curated seed is used for a better overall experience (you can find and play that selection of over 52,000 locales here).

As speedrunner "Havrd" demonstrated, ??deduc??ing your locale from your surroundings alone can be tricky. And for this category, Havrd was going for a perfect score, getting his own location essentially dead-on with a score of 5,000 for each of the five drop points. You can watch the run in full below:

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxBcdmExUyc

Just looking around his location, he's able to deduce countries and regions. Roads make for an obvious marker, as well as exit signs. But the speed at which he can glean details, anything from a flag and written language to road lines, while flitting through the world is really impressiv??e to see in practice.

I love the non-standard runs that get featured at Games Done Quick, and going online has only made it easier to feature some runs that would otherwise cause logistical challenges. VR and full arcade setups are some obvious examples, but I'm happy to see GDQ spotlighting stuff like GeoGuessr as well. It's not the most conventional "g??ame," but it's fas??cinating to see these sorts of tools turned into games and then broken down into a run.

SGDQ 2021 concludes tomorrow, July 10, with a run of Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix; here's where you can find the full schedule of upcoming games. You can follow the s?tream and help donate to a good cause (Doctors Without Borders) here.

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It's summertime and the living is speedy

Because this has been the fastest year in the history of time, we are just one short month away from one of gaming's most exciting annual events: Summer Games Done Quick (SGDQ). The charity speedrun marathon will once again see some of the best game players from across the globe gather online to dazzle and astound with their finely honed (and sometimes? especially sneaky) skills.

As we're not quite out of the COVID-19 pandemic yet, the schedule calls for SGDQ 2021 to be held in an online capacity once again. We can still tune in for a week's worth of gaming action, offering our support while making donations for a worthwhile cause. This year's beneficiary is once again global healthcare network Medicins Sans Frontieres, an organization that (understandably) needs our help now more than ever. Last year saw the GDQ team raise an awesome $2.3 million USD, so they'll no doubt be lo?oking to break that record.

The Games Done Quick team has released the schedule for this year's event, which is loaded for bear with fantastic titles old and new. Making an appearance will be Nintendo's Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Fire Emblem: Three Houses, and Super Mario Odyssey, Guerilla Games' Horizon Zero Dawn, Capcom's Devil May Cry V, Dotemu's Streets of Rage 4, and Fromsoft's PS5 remake of Demon's Souls. This is but a tiny selection of the array of amazing gam?es waiting on deck, so be sure to peep the SGDQ 2021 schedule and look out for some of your favorites.

Summer Games Done Quick 2021 kicks off Sunday, July 4, and will run until Sunday, July 11. You can follow all of the action over on the official GDQ Twitch channel. I can't wait!

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